204 
WADING BIRDS. 
Either this bird has increased the limit of its range since Nuttall 
stalked our marshes, or the modern bird-hunter is provided with in- 
creased power of observation, keener vision, and more accurate 
perception, for recent reports concerning the distribution of the 
Gallinule differ considerably from Nuttall’s account. 
It is true the Florida Gallinule is at home in the tropical por- 
tions of the continent, but it occurs regularly and in numbers 
throughout the warm temperate area north to New England and 
Canada, and west to the Mississippi valley. It is quite common 
on Cape Cod, and nests have been found near Fresh Pond, Cam- 
bridge, and in Vermont. 
A few stragglers only have visited the Maritime Provinces; but 
the bird breeds in numbers in Ontario, and is not uncommon around 
Ottawa and Montreal. In Illinois and Wisconsin it is quite common. 
But it is a shy and retiring bird, leaving its haunts amid the rank 
marsh-grass and the rushes only when impelled by the migratory- 
instinct, and then the bird steals off under cover of the darkness. 
In an interesting contribution to “The Auk,” Mr. Brewster 
tells us that the movements of this Gallinule when walking or swim- 
ming is peculiarly graceful, but when on the wing its appearance is 
ludicrously awkward. 
The notes of the bird are numerous and of great variety of tone 
and compass, varying from a harsh scream to a low hen-like chick. 
“ Speaking generally,” writes Mr. Brewster, “ the notes were all loud, 
harsh, and discordant, and nearly all curiously hen-like.” He adds, 
“ I certainly know of no other bird which utters so many different 
sounds.” Some of the notes are like a drawling kee-ar-r, krei-ar-r j 
or more rapidly uttered they produce a sound like kr-r-r-r-r. and 
are varied with kruc-kruc, or a low kloc-kloc. At times a note like 
ticket-ticket-ticket-ticket is heard, and again a single abrupt explosive 
kup like the cry of a startled frog. 
